1900 Antique Chinese Japanese solid Silver hammered Dragon Cigarette Case /88g

Description

A
ntique Chinese silver cigarette case made in China or Japan  in late 19th - early XX cent.
Made of high -grade solid Silver. Both sides of the body are embellished with a fine and impressive hand made hammered /chased iconic design of  Dragons within clouds depicted in high relief. This beautiful design shows a powerful yet delicate image of a traditional & unique  cultural subject. Hand engraved with maker marks on exterior of the back.
Measurements: 89 mm x 64 mm x 20 mm deep.Weight: 88 grams
Please note that this is no repousse ornamentation but real complicated hammered /chased 3-d design on both sides and that makes this box very special end rare artifact. My jeweler was really pleased and surprised to see this piece, she said that this artifact is amazing and that today making such piece would cost a lot of money and take a lot of dedicated time (month,two or more ) of highly skilled chaser if (!) you can find one who is really able to do this type of work. Being practicing chaser herself  for decades she admitted that making such small - scaled 3-d hammering work on Silver is extremely difficult (she cannot do that, she works with larger - medium sized scale objects only and her works look really amateurish in comparison ) and will require very specific skills and equipment.
To make such ornament one needs to draw the ornament on the surface of very thin Silver sheet and to work manually on both (!)sides of the metal sheet with a hammer and numerous small chisels of different calibers and types,very carefully. Any error may spoil the work leaving no chance to fix it,thus in general only real pros could make such fine hammering works.
She noted that the walls of the box are double - the lanes with ready ornaments were skilfully soldered to separate plain sheets of Silver of equal dimensions.After that the soldered double walls were soldered to the halves of the frame that were later joined with hinges.
Overall the case is in very good condition, there is a small damage to the head of a dragon on one side,it sticks out a bit over the level of the surface and that caused that damage in the past.This doesn't make any serious problem and can be noticed under magnification only.This part is not loose or shaky and can be repaired with laser equipment for additional payment.
The lock of the box is secure,the halves will close with a click.
There are minor scratches and dents,patina on metal.
Buyers from EU countries will be charged extra  25 %  of the sum stated above. EU tax.
Please email me with any questions before buying.